Heart-Healthy Ingredient Substitutions

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Foods for the Heart

Foods for the Heart

Whether you're recovering
from or trying to prevent a heart attack, a healthy diet is going to be part of
the plan. As you start building your healthy eating strategy, it's important to
know which foods to avoid and which foods to target. To help you, this
slideshow highlights several heart-healthy substitutions and suggests tips on
making them taste great. With a few simple swaps, you can keep your ticker in
top shape and still enjoy delicious food.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise

Low-fat and light mayonnaise
are better than the real thing for a heart-healthy diet, but which is better?
The answer depends on what you’re going to use it for.

The lower the fat content,
the sweeter the mayonnaise tends to be, which may be most noticeable on
sandwiches. You may want to stick with light mayo (4.5 fat grams/tablespoon)
for that next turkey sandwich. Reduced-fat mayonnaise (2 fat grams/tablespoon) is
best in dips, salads, or baked recipes.

Taste Tip: Stirring in chopped chipotle peppers adds a nice
kick to potato or pasta salads while reducing the sweetness of reduced-fat
mayo.

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Cheese

Cheese

Low-fat and fat-free cheese
offer great-tasting alternatives to the full-fat versions. Although fat-free
cheese may seem like the better option, most brands tend to be very gummy and
don’t melt well. Instead, try reduced-fat cheese, which has the same great
flavor and melting qualities as the original but with significantly less fat.

Expert's
Tip: Buy blocks of reduced-fat
cheese and grate it yourself. It’s not only cheaper, but it also melts
better.

Salt

Salt

Instead of reaching for the saltshaker,
add a splash of vinegar or a squeeze of fresh lemon to your food. Using herbs
and spices is a great way to give a familiar dish a new twist. Try creating
your own salt-free spice blends to have on hand when you need a boost of
flavor.

Taste Tip: The flavor of fresh herbs fades quickly when
cooked, so add them just before serving.

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Eggs

Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source
of protein and essential nutrients, but they’re also high in cholesterol.

Instead of cutting eggs out
completely, simply remove the yolks, which contain all the cholesterol. Use ¼ cup
of commercial egg substitute or two large egg whites for every whole egg in
baked goods.

Expert's
Tip: To make your own egg
substitute, whisk together six egg whites, ¼ cup of nonfat dry milk, one
tablespoon of canola oil, and four drops of yellow food coloring.

Ground Beef

Ground Beef

When you’re craving a juicy
burger or a thick slice of meatloaf, mix equal parts lean ground turkey breast
and grass-fed, lean ground beef. The ground turkey adds moisture and makes
cooked burgers less crumbly. For recipes like chili, pasta sauce, or casseroles
that call for ground beef, you can substitute with ground turkey without
noticing much of a difference.

Expert's
Tip: Most supermarkets offer a
variety of great-tasting low-fat sausages made from ground turkey.

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Chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate does have a place
in heart-healthy diets, but you should forgo white chocolate and milk chocolate
varieties. Eaten in moderate amounts, dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa or
higher) may reduce blood pressure and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, according
to the International Journal of
Molecular Science.

For baked goods like cookies
and cakes, finely chop the dark chocolate and reduce the amount called for by
half.

Sour Cream

Sour Cream

Like many other dairy
products, sour cream is an ingredient incorporated into a wide variety of
recipes. Get the same tangy flavor without all the fat by pureeing equal
amounts of low-fat cottage cheese and nonfat yogurt in a blender and using it
in place of the sour cream. In baking, you can substitute an equal amount of
low-fat or nonfat yogurt in many recipes.

Expert's Tip: Try Greek yogurt, which is considerably thicker
and creamier than regular yogurt because a lot of the whey has been strained.

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Steak

Steak

Steak often gets a bad reputation as being unhealthy.
However, there are a number of cuts that meet the USDA’s
guidelines for lean meat. Your
best bets are:

eye of round

sirloin tip side

top round

top sirloin

Portion size is key. According
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a 3-ounce serving of these cuts has 4.5 grams or less of
saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol.

Taste Tip: For a cut of beef with an intense, beefy flavor, ask
your local butcher about dry-aged beef.

Whole Grains

Whole Grains

Diets rich in whole grains
have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and the
risk of strokes, states the AHA.
You can substitute up to half the amount of all-purpose flour with whole-wheat
flour in almost all your favorite baking recipes. For added texture, try using ¼
cup of rolled oats in place of all-purpose flour.

Expert Tip:
Don’t like the flavor or
texture of whole wheat? Look for white
whole-wheat flour. It’s milder in flavor, but still has all the nutrition.

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Sugar

Sugar

New heart-healthy guidelines
from the AHA
urge people to consume no more than 100 to 150 calories from added sugars—sugars
not naturally occurring in food—a day. You can substitute artificial sweeteners
for up to half of the sugar in most baked goods without any difference in
texture or flavor. Try using 100 percent natural fruit juices to sweeten sauces
and beverages.

Expert's
Tip: High quantities of sugar
can be found in items like ketchup, salad dressings, and sauces, so read the
labels carefully.

More Heart-Health Information

More Heart-Health Information

A healthy diet is only one
step on the path to a healthy heart. Check out these helpful articles for other
great tips for your ticker: